On LEA21, Eupalinos Ugajin has created another of his energetic, interactive art spaces. The setting he made for it is one of my favorites. There are so many things to click on, including a dragon to fight in order to gain access to the Library area, but I am so easily distracted by the sheer beauty of the installation that I tend to observe more than do battle. Yet, when you do click, there are marvels to experience, so I suggest visitors take advantage of the interactive quality in Gravity is a Mistake. I was fortunate to have been invited to build something under the water pertaining to the library theme. The seabed is covered in a large page with script in PrimChords. The underwater telephone poles have also caught more pages of script in their wires.

My underwater contribution to the installation.

Above the waves are fine works by several artists. Whether the visitor is able to make it into the Library or not by getting past the dragon, it's absolutely worth it to stand at the entry and cam around. It's a work of art, and every angle of it is exciting, you can only take excellent photos.

You land in the giant pin studded seed high above the ocean. Stepping outside
of the seed, you teleport automatically to the island below, at it's entrance. Once
you get past the dragon, the Library will show you in no uncertain terms that
gravity is a mistake. Tap your forward button just a little at a time for more control.
But don't expect full control, this is what happens when physics changes its mind.

Looking from the back of the Library toward the entrance

A very lively "book" by Alpha Auer. There are also other
amazing artists present at the Gravity installation.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Looking onto the pink domed Studio of Stories in the distance,
from the waterfall at Maze Gardens.

The facade of the studio on Paper Tower Court.
The inner dome is a concave lens carved into the large drum above the studio space.
Being that the drum resembles a crown, one can also call this building the Crown of Frogs.
The 3D falling cubes are a twist on pendentives, helping to secure the drum
onto the building proper.

Interior of the studio.

Since yesterday,
I’ve been remodeling the ACC Builds Studio (one of the pavilions on Paper Tower Court) for the purpose of sharing readings
and performance. I now refer to it as the Studio of Stories. I opened up the
previous small room compartments into one large space, but divided it into
different levels for a more dynamic floor plan with tiered seating. The walls
are three textures deep to impart a soft glitter effect. To engage the eyes’
pleasure of the arts, two sea themed works by Lilia Artis grace the walls.
Removal of the double arches afforded me the space I needed to open the ceiling
into a dome. After constructing a drum, the new inner dome could fit snug into it.

Detail of sculptures.

Two of the six nixies found inside the dome's space.

Pulling further back, one sees the skylight based on Mantegna's painting

The Frog Dome

I wanted some
kind of Baroque or Rococo elements in the painting of the inner dome, as well as
lavishing sculpture at its base. I took a ceiling painting by Mantegna for
inspiration, but replaced the angels and humans with whimsical frogs and
nixies. I just happen to have a superb collection of the aforementioned creatures
sculpted by Garvie Garzo of MeadowWorks. The frog and nixie pieces have been
fashioned with great care by Garvie, and they now protect the vaulted ceiling
from any conventional expectations. The amphibians adorn the rim of the inner dome with a variety of yoga poses. The sky within the dome is four
textures thick, three of which are alpha layers, and you may know the joy of
working with a room full of alphas! The closer you cam into the glitter walls
and dome, the larger the specks become. Adjusting your distance from these
architectural features will yield various effects. I hope you find just the
right one for your taste! To see more frogs on the sim, also visit the meditation
hall at the House of Accentaury, which is on the Plateau of Man Park.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Have you ever boarded
a ship which travels counter clockwise in the air… then to the seabed… and
beyond? Now you can ride a most unusual new mode of transportation in
Accentaury. Click the ship when you see it – look somewhere in the proximity of
the Paper Observatory (the giant domed building which floats above the center
of the ACC Alpha sim). It may take a
minute or two before it emerges from the sea. You cannot miss its large size.
There are three chairs on the deck, but it doesn’t matter where you click to
sit, any part of the ship will place you into the animation on one of the
chairs.

The ship rises toward the Paper Observatory which hovers over Accentaury.

HOW TO RIDE: Simply right click anywhere on the ship, choose
SIT HERE from the pie menu, and you’re on your way. Next, hit your ESC (Escape)
key on the keyboard, and the camera takes over for a good avatar perspective. And
if you wish to ensure your view to be facing forward during the ride, when you right
click on the ship, click on the ship while your view is facing forward, and
this establishes the angle you will experience during the tour. Hit the ESC key
as explained above, and your camera does all the work, all you need do is sit
back and enjoy the short ride. [Usually you will face forward by default, but
sometimes it does a side view… which is also interesting. You have some degree
of control by choosing the camera angle before right clicking the ship].

WHAT YOU WILL
SEE: Certainly you’ve been on Second
Life transports and tours that take you around the sims, on land, in the air,
and even above and below the sea. But have you been on one that also dips you
below the sim, below the lowest seabed of the sim? It’s murky blue down there,
and you’ll see it for a brief time on the ride. Hold your breath! You will also
see the sim of Sparquerry off in the distance, and like magic you will traverse
solid walls, and glide up to the Paper Observatory in a rather surprising kind
of entrance.

It's murky UNDERNEATH a sim. This is below the lowest seabed level.

By contrast, here I reemerge above the seabed, enjoying the refreshing cold waters
of the deep sea.

Flying up from the sea, high into the sky is the entry to the Paper Observatory.

MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION: Not only does this ride give you a tour of
sorts, and a good dunking into the ocean, but it will also deliver you right
inside the Paper Observatory. No matter where the ship is when you click to
STAND, you will be disembarked instantaneously onto the floor of the Paper
Observatory. Nearby is a teleporter disc on the ground. You can left click that
for a menu of 9 other stops available for transport in the Accentaury city.
This time, you will travel much quicker and by space ship. This is the
teleporting system that has been in use here since 2010. It’s old and reliable.
The spaceship follows you like a puppy for a half minute after escorting you to
your chosen destination. Then it flies up into the sky for a fond farewell
until your next teleporting click.

The teleporter inside the Paper Observatory allows you to access 9 other
destinations on the ACC Alpha sim. Left click for the menu of locations.
Click the location you wish to visit, then right click to sit on the ball that appears
above the teleporter. You're on your way. A quick way to see many of the sites.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Skyline at Plateau of Man Park, over the rooftop of House of Accentaury.
The floating disc in the sky is the remains of the top of the Paper Tower
which used to dominate ACC Alpha.

After having refurnished parts of the Camel Pavilion which gives onto the Plateau of Man Park, I also trimmed some of the bushes, cleaning up the look all around that area. The trees actually show better when there is less density of the lower shrubs. The park is still quite lush on this mesa overlooking Accentaury. I decided to do a little photo series of the skyline based on the plentiful domes found in this section of the city, and how they play among the trees which reveal them through their gentle lacy leaves like silk veils. The photos are all taken in the natural sim light, without any manipulation in Photoshop. I like the soft atmosphere the region lighting gives.

Looking toward the Camel Pavilion and House of Accentaury.

Same view as above, but showing the grounds of the park. The building to the right
houses a fountain in a pond where a mother duck and her duckling swim.
Beyond the park in the far distance is the top of a tower at Darkrodin's Notebook.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

View onto the cliff side dwellings of Medusa Locks.Lots of activities have recently been at work in this neighborhood.

Almost invariably, every time I finish a large installation, such as Fantasy Faire, either ACC Alpha, or Sparquerry will get lots of attention, usually in the form of some remodeling here or there. It's not only because I enjoy building that I do this, but each installation I make in world, new things are learned, and I am propelled to upgrade some of my older builds.

The old vase in the newly retextured hallway at Medusa Locks

For years, I had been bothered by the messy trail called Black Forest Lock, around the book bindery. In that tiny space, it was impossible to widen the trail, however, to simplify the windy road into a more straight forward line solved the problem. While I was at it, cleaning the upper portion of Black Forest Lock was also a major undertaking. The old vase on pedestal remains on its same spot, but the 'closet' was removed as well as the new primchords textures added to lighten up the area.
The book bindery also got a fresh coat of textures, and simplification.

The book bindery gets a face lift. Also on Medusa Locks.

The beautiful work of artists Silas Merlin, and Eliza Wierwight played key roles in some of the recent remodels. Silas is a very talented pastel artist and sculptor, who brings his real life art into SL. He observes the festivals in Bretagne, France, where the locals dress in traditional costumes. Silas then captures them in his own compositions and delivers us remarkable drawings. The sense of light, and color and line are masterful. When remodeling the Pen Temple at the base of Medusa Locks, I began filling the room with these artworks. In addition, I had been purchasing furnishings and plants from Eliza Wierwight's Banyan House. She is the creator of Patron, in case you aren't familiar with her work, I highly suggest you look up her profile and fly over to Banyan House to see one of SL's wonders. The quality of Eliza's artistic creations are flawless, and I was grateful so many of the pieces are for sale so as to incorporate some really comfortable settings at ACC Alpha. The Camel Pavilion also got a new set of furnishings thanks to my shopping fun at Banyan House.

New furnishings by Eliza Wierwight at the Camel Pavilion at Caravan Terminus.

Silas Merlin's pastel paintings on the walls of the Pen Temple at Medusa Locks.
Patron furnishings by Eliza Wierwight.

More paintings by Silas Merlin, and furnishings by Eliza Wierwight.

Silas Merlin just finished "Mademoiselle Rose" based on the painting by the French artist Delacroix. Silas made a 3D sculpture after the painting, and provided the background on a separate prim which carries the texture of the painting's background, so you have a kind of diorama set up. You have to see it to believe how well done it is. For Mademoiselle Rose, I felt the best place to set her up was in the old glass studio at Medusa Locks.

Silas Merlin's 3D statue based on the painting "Mademoiselle Rose" by Delacroix.
The painting is in the forefront on the easel, and the statue is to the right of this,
and can be viewed at all angles.

In case you are wondering, these are all public places, so please just walk in. They are intended for visitors to see.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Saying good-bye to the Fairelands. This scene at the Golden Delta, built by Alia Baroque.

This scene is looking onto Fairelands Junction, built by Saiyge Lotus.

FAREWELL TO THE FAIRE

Fantasy Faire in Second Life is only open a little less than two weeks. It's a magnificent place to visit, this year with 14 sims to explore, to shop, to be entertained, to participate in workshops, and to do it all in the framework of fantasy. I only show two sims above, but I loved them all. In the last days, when I finally had some time to explore, I found true wonders all over, and sat back in many of them to relax into the exquisite views. I sorely miss the Faire when it leaves, and now it has in fact gone until it shows an entirely new face next year. I was able to make two films about Sapphire Mirror Lake, the sim I was given to develop with Lilia Artis' much appreciated assistance and contribution of her own builds. We had so much fun working on the project both before it opened and during the faire, always tons to do. Wonderful things happen all throughout it's run. I wrote in the film description about an astounding gift Lilia and I received from some pretty special people at the Faire. Here's the text:
.................................................................................................The centaurs return to Sapphire Mirror Lake. At the tail end of Fantasy Faire 2016, Alia Baroque organized a surprise on a grand scale for Lilia Artis and me, with the participation of many people involved in Fantasy Faire. Sapphire Mirror Lake is said to have been built by a centaur civilization in the distant past. Many people nowadays believe that they exist only in myth. But a miracle occurred. While at Sapphire Mirror Lake, both Lilia and I were directed to face the sim to our west, without knowing why. I thought someone might be planning to take our picture, the idea delighted me, and I hoped my feet were still attached. Instead, down the facing slope of Serenity, came a herd of centaurs, satyrs, horses and unicorns, humans, fairies, and all manner of marvelous creatures! The impact was powerful, both Lilia and I were moved to the core, and when I got my wits back, I started filming. By a stroke of luck, the group spontaneously moved from the sandy banks to the dance hall. The film about the May Day Ball had been nearly completed, but when I saw this new development, the centaurs and the May Day Ball simply had to be merged into the one film you see here. The story was expanded: the centaurs return! There is magic at Fantasy Faire. If anyone still ponders the existence of centaurs, I hope this video will put all doubts to rest.
..........................................................................................

Here are the two films I made about Sapphire Mirror Lake. Please click the titles to be taken to the film:

In addition, I wanted to add a paragraph Sonya Marmurek wrote on the Fantasy Faire website which you can read HERE in its entirety. She summed up the kinds of people present at the faire beautifully. In Sonya's words:

[...] Alia Baroque said in his interview: Fantasy Faire is the
people.

There are bold centaurs,
beautiful unicorns, twerking dragons, prancing dinkies in lobster-suits,
frolicking fauns, graceful fae, glittering petites, towering giants, angels and
demons to balance each other out… there are goats and ponies and a giant fox,
there are even humans, of all things!

There are roleplayers,
creators, dancers, bloggers, photographers, DJs, authors, speakers, coders,
sound technicians, actors, artists, world builders, organizers, sponsors,
musicians, particle performers… there are visitors from all the communities
across Second Life.

In the Fairelands the Tiny Police can riverdance on the toes of
a giant towering over the tallest of buildings, artists can be transformed to
centaurs, Relayers can visit lands built for the hope risen from imagination,
DJs can spin on a deck of a ship carried by a dragon, dancers can hold a stage
of a whole world created to celebrate them, roleplayers can weave their stories
with a new flow of visitors to partake in their lives, storytellers can share
their words in an environment grown out of inspiration, photographers can
despair at the beauty eleven days is never enough to capture… in the Fairelands
anything is possible. In the Fairelands we come together: many communities,
many tribes, all joined for those brief magical days.

We are all Faire Folk. For
eleven days this is our land, our shared continent where all can come together,
meet and talk and dance and experience the magic. Fantasy Faire is the people.